Breitbart’s Raheem Kassam To Run For UKIP Leader

Breitbart London’s editor in chief has announced his intention to run for leader of UKIP following Diane James’s resignation just 18 days after she was elected to the role.

Kassam, who has been editor in chief of Breitbart London since May 2015, is a close ally of former leader Nigel Farage and worked as his chief adviser in the run up to the 2015 General Election, in which the party received 4 million votes.

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Talking to Guido Fawkes, Kassam said, “I, like ordinary UKIP members, am so tired of the chicanery at the top of this party. There is so much corruption. There is so much duplicity. There are so many people shaking hands with one another and then knifing them in private. It has to stop.”

“I’m clear about what I stand for: a strong, united UKIP, free of the Tory splitters. I want this party to continue to be the driving force behind Brexit.

“I want us to address the deep cultural and social divides in this country. I want us to champion causes like Justice for Marine A and tackle the scourge of Islamism in our schools, prisons, and communities. I want us to become the real opposition and put this feckless Labour Party to bed,” he continued.

“UKIP has a positive future in a sovereign Britain, but it won’t happen unless someone with some courage and willpower does something about the internal fractures. I want to Make UKIP Great Again,” he added.

Kassam and his campaign team have since set up a website, MakeUKIPGreatAgain.com, which they say is for “members who want a return to UKIP at its best.”

Talking to Breitbart, Kassam added that “I believe UKIP needs to start working more closely with our European partners. It’s all well and good to talk about it, but let’s get out there and do it.”

“If we really, truly believe that the European Union is bad for Europeans, then let us help our allies and friends free themselves from the shackles of EU membership. This would be a very high priority for me, and help internationalise the UKIP brand. After all, we always said, ‘Out of Europe, Into The World’? So let’s get out into the world, and help our friends to do the same.”

Kassam had previously expressed his support for the candidacy of Steven Woolfe MEP during the last UKIP leadership race before he was disqualified on a technicality. Mr. Kassam has not ruled out running on a joint ticket with Woolfe in this round.